Nintendo to launch mini-NES console with 30 classic games

Gamers of the ’90s will experience a sudden rush of nostalgia, as gaming giant Nintendo announced it’s bringing back the iconic Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)—in a much smaller form.

The NES classic edition will retain its retro design and serve as a “mini-replica” of the original gaming platform, according to TechCrunch.

Apart from its compact feature, the popular console will come with 30 built-in games including classics like Super Mario Bros. 1, 2 and 3, The Legend Of Zelda, Punch Out, Final Fantasy, Donkey Kong and Bubble Bobble.

The console will be able to connect to a TV via an HDMI cable. It will also include a controller designed to work just like the original rectangular NES gamepad. The new controller is compatible with a Wii Remote, and can be used to play virtual console games on a Wii or Wii U.

In addition to HDMI support and minimal cartridges, the returning mini-console will also feature multiple suspend points for users, which will make password security a lot easier.

Nintendo will roll out the NES Classic Edition on Nov. 11. It will be priced at $59.99 (P2,812.96).  Khristian Ibarrola

Refer to the complete list of available pre-installed games below:

    Balloon Fight
    Bubble Bobble
    Castlevania
    Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest
    Donkey Kong
    Donkey Kong Jr.
    Double Dragon II: The Revenge
    Dr. Mario
    Excitebike
    Final Fantasy
    Galaga
    Ghosts’N Goblins
    Gradius
    Ice Climber
    Kid Icarus
    Kirby’s Adventure
    Mario Bros.
    Mega Man 2
    Metroid
    Ninja Gaiden
    Pac-Man
    Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream
    StarTropics
    Super C
    Super Mario Bros.
    Super Mario Bros. 2
    Super Mario Bros. 3
    Tecmo Bowl
    The Legend of Zelda
    Zelda II: The Adventure of Link


source: technology.inquirer.net

Wii U Sales are Up 200%!

It seems reports of the Wii U‘s demise might just be premature. Nintendo‘s home console has seen it’s sales rise by more than 200 % for the month of September.

Nintendo recently dropped the price of its Wii U by $50 to $299.99. The company also began offering a Wii U bundle with The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker in September. The price drop and excitement over the new exclusive and bundle are thought to be the causes of the uptick in sales.

While the Wii U’s sales are up, it still trails the Sony’s Playstation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360, and it will face the new consoles from both companies this Holiday season. Sony unseated Microsoft in September, selling more PS3′s than Xbox 360s for the first time in 32 months.

Hopefully the big N can keep the exclusives coming, at least enough to keep the Wii U in the game long enough for the Wii – V to come out! (I kid, I kid)

For more information, Nintendo’s press release follows below:

Oct. 17, 2013

Nintendo 3DS Repeats at No. 1, Wii U Responds Following Price Cut

Nintendo enters the critical holiday selling season with strong momentum, as Nintendo 3DS finished as the best-selling video game system in the U.S. for the fifth consecutive month and Wii U enjoyed new momentum following a price cut.

On Oct. 15, Nintendo revealed that Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, which launched globally on Oct. 12, combined to sell more than 4 million units worldwide during its first two days on the market. A full breakdown of U.S. sales for the games, as well as the new Nintendo 2DS handheld, which launched on the same day, will be included in next month’s NPD report. In addition to the latest Pokémon adventure, Nintendo 3DS fans have two exciting games on the horizon, both launching on Nov. 22: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Mario Party: Island Tour.

On Sept. 20, Nintendo reduced the price of the Wii U Deluxe Set by $50 to a suggested retail price of $299.99 and introduced a limited-edition bundle that features a download code for a digital copy of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD. Sales of Wii U hardware in September increased by more than 200 percent over sales in August, and that is with only 15 days of data being reported at the new price. Over the next few weeks and months, Wii U fans can look forward to playing Wii Party U (Oct. 25), Wii Fit U (Nintendo eShop, Nov. 1) Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games (Nov. 15) and Super Mario 3D World (Nov. 22).

*Data regarding physical sales of games in September are from the NPD Group. Data regarding digital downloads of games and combined physical/digital life-to-date numbers are from Nintendo’s internal sales figures. All numbers, unless otherwise stated, are specific to the United States only.

source: intomobile.com

Sony issues consumer alert on hacked PS3 units

Hacked PlayStation 3 units have been prevalent and a big concern for Sony Computer Entertainment. Hackers who have tried to crack the machine have met many difficulties in getting through the block that allows users to sign in the PlayStation Network with a “jailbroken” console in the years following the system’s release. 

 

Recently,  LV0 keys had reportedly been released online by hackers, enabling hacked units to access PSN content with the assistance of a PC. It’s a legitimate concern that Sony has addressed via their official website, issuing a consumer alert the addresses PlayStation Network and Sony Entertainment Network Services users.

 

Sony’s Notice Statement from the US Playstation website is as follows:

 

“Dear valued PlayStation 3 customers,

 

Unauthorized software for the PlayStation 3 system was recently released by hackers. Use of such software violates the terms of the “System Software License Agreement for the Playstation 3 System” and the “Terms of Services and User Agreement” for the PlaStation Network/ Sony Entertainment Network and its Community Code of Conduct provisions.

 

Violation of the System software License Agreement for the PlayStation 3 system invalidates the consumer’s right to access that system. Consumers running unauthorized or pirated software may have their access to the PlayStation Network and access to Sony Entertainment Network services through PlayStation 3 system terminated permanently.

 

To avoid permanent termination, consumers must immediately cease using and delete all unauthorized or pirated software from their PlayStation 3 systems.

 

In order to help provide a safe, fair, online environment, consumers who we belive violate “Terms of Services and User Agreement” for the PlayStation Network/ Sony Entertainment network or the applicable laws or regulations of their country or region risk having access to the PlayStation Network and access to Sony Entertainment Network services terminated permanently.”

 

 

In summary: those with hacked units and accessing the PSN or Sony Entertainment Network will get their accounts terminated immediately. PlayStation users best heed this bit of news.— TJD, GMA

source: gmanetwork.com

New Gaming Mouse, Savu, Comes With Its Own Achievements

Gamification has been the thing for a while now, from regular console video games to getting achievements for reading the news. Though we don’t expect everything to be gamified in modern times, we certainly aren’t surprised by it, but a computer mouse having its own achievements is not something for which we could’ve been prepared. Peripheral company Roccat is releasing its Savu gaming mouse, and with all of the fancy accoutrements of gaming mice, the Savu is bringing its own set of achievements. Yes, you can now get achievements for mouse movement and number of clicks.

At a glance, the Savu is your standard gaming mouse. Sleek exterior, pretty lighting, a multitude of extra buttons, a sensor that can crank it up to 4,000dpi — your standard stuff. However, what isn’t your standard gaming mouse feature is the Roccat Achievements Display — acronym intended — that incorporates achievements into using your mouse. No, it doesn’t have a set of its own achievements for different games, but it has a set of its own achievements for being used. The achievement list doesn’t seem to have been released as of yet, but due to the nature of what is being gamified, one can probably infer that the achievements will look something like “clicked fifty times in one minute,” and because we’re living in 2012, the achievements can also be share through social networks.

The Savu will be debuting at CeBIT in a week, so hopefully a more readily available achievement list will be released by then so we’ll know exactly how much Diablo we’ll have to play before we can get our clicky achievements.

source: http://www.geekosystem.com/savu-gaming-mouse-comes-with-own-achievements/